What’s your wedge game?

[pruden6]

Hey all, I have a PXG Gen6 Pitching wedge which I hit between 90-110 yards and a Ping 56° wedge which I usually hit between 75 to 85 yards. So I was curious about what the difference is for a 60° wedge and should I consider getting one?

Edited June 1 by pruden6

[RetiredBoomer]

8 hours ago, pruden6 said:

Hey all, I have a PXG Gen6 Pitching wedge which I hit between 90-110 yards and a Ping 56° wedge which I usually hit between 75 to 85 yards. So I was curious about what the difference is for a 60° wedge?

For me, the sixty degree wedge is for short-sided lobs.

You miss the green to the right, for example, but the flagstick is only nine feet in from the right side.  You can't run the ball onto the green because of the ground contour or because there's a bunker in between the green and your ball.  You have to lob the ball softly onto the green, and you don't want the ball to roll very far when it lands.

For others, however, the sixty degree wedge is more for hitting full shots from close in,
or for combining with other wedges in a clock-face backswing length matrix
where each wedge represents a certain distance with full, three-quarter, and half-swings.

The latter will want some bounce angle--
the amount the trailing edge slants below the leading edge--
while the former, playing soft shots from forward in the stance,
wants nearly no bounce at all.

That's why the USGA has a fourteen club limit.
They don't want you to have the ideal club for every shot.
The want to make improvising shots with less than ideal equipment
an important part of the game.

If it were up to me, however, they'd make cart bags with at least twenty slots!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hacker60521]

I’ve always had a four wedge bag, but dropped my 60. So now it’s PW, 48, 54, 58. As @RetiredBoomer mentioned I used my 60 for super soft lobs and for full swings as well. But when I readjusted my gapping the 58 works just as well on the lob and really holds well as an approach shot. 

[WaffleHouseTour]

Ditto on the above!
 

I’ve got a PW 43*(130), GW 48*, AW 52*, SW 55*, LW 58* (the 52, 54 58 are all traditional wedge shapes and grinds as opposed to the 43 and 48 which look like the rest of the iron set. ) All have a different purpose. For me the 43 and 48 are only for full shots. The rest are full, half, short and finesse shots - from 5 feet to 100 yards. Yes, that means less longer clubs  at the other end of my bag but I’m fine w that trade. More shots happen closer to the pin/green. 

[RetiredBoomer]

35 minutes ago, Hacker60521 said:

I’ve always had a four wedge bag, but dropped my 60. So now it’s PW, 48, 54, 58. As @RetiredBoomer mentioned I used my 60 for super soft lobs and for full swings as well. But when I readjusted my gapping the 58 works just as well on the lob and really holds well as an approach shot. 

I find that interesting, H.
If your 2nd wedge is a 48, how strong is your PW?

The PW that matched my irons was a 46, coming after a 42° 9-iron.
I didn't order it with the Titleist set because I chose a matching 46 / 52 / 58 set from Mizuno instead (matching shaft and grip with the irons, though).  I just ordered the 5-9 plus a driving iron for tight driving holes. 

Just a personal preference, but in a three wedge setup, I preferred my PW to match the wedges rather than the numbered irons.  Mentally, I'm looking at the center of the green with numbered irons, where with wedges, I might look at the flagstick with reasonable pin placements.

If I do bag a fourth wedge, it's an oval-faced sand iron with curved leading edge that I play ONLY from the sand or rough.  It's useless from a tight turf lie.  

 

Edited June 1 by RetiredBoomer

[PrismFlopper]

I play a PW, GW, SW, and Vickey60. But I check3d out the new bettanardi wedges the other day and those are very nice. Going to try them out and maybe change some things around. The bounce seems a little longer and have a razor sharp leading edge. 

[Fongle]

My 60 normally comes out for a shortsided pitch, deep bunkers, and occasionally when I need to get the ball vertical in a hurry, hitting over trees etc

[Golf2Much]

If I had to pick one wedge for your situation, it would be a gap wedge over the 60 degree lob wedge.  It not only will fill the "gap" between your existing wedges on full shots as well as giving you more flexibility while chipping and pitching around the greens.  

Everyone is a bit different on their needs for wedges and how each fit into their game.  For fun, I went back through my 2024 Shot Scope data and looked at how often I used each of my five wedges.  Here's the results:

Because I'm not the longest hitter and find myself typically short of almost all the greens I play, I find myself too often in 40 to 80 yards in range requiring my gap and sand wedges.  I'm also a fan of using a range of wedges chipping and pitching the balls around the greens.  As mentioned by others, I personally find the lob wedge is useful and almost necessary in specific situations (e.g. get over a bunker with a tight pin location).  

I play 99% of my rounds on my same home course, so I'm aware of what shot situations (distance, traps, etc.) and I'm constantly battling between adding the 6 iron or lob wedge to my bag.  My home course if a classic Rees Jones design with small greens, false fronts and protective greenside bunkers.  As a result, I find myself more often in those situations where a lob wedge is needed so that's why it's in the bag now.

Again, this is just data on my game.  I'm distance challenged and rely on my short game to score.  As a result, my wedges get a lot of work and I need the various lofts to help me execute in a wide variety of shots around the greens.  Your game is likely different, so you may want to take the time, look at the situations you're in most of the time and see which wedge makes the most sense to add to your bag.  

[tony@CIC]

My Vokey 60* is the preferred club 55 yds in. 

[Hacker60521]

23 hours ago, RetiredBoomer said:

I find that interesting, H.
If your 2nd wedge is a 48, how strong is your PW?

 

 

My PW is 43. So I run 43, 48, 54, 58. 

[RetiredBoomer]

2 hours ago, Hacker60521 said:

My PW is 43. So I run 43, 48, 54, 58. 

I see.

My set-matching PW is 46°, coming after a 42° 9-iron,
but I don't bag it.   

My numbered irons are stronger lofted than any I've had before,
but they're nonetheless just about the weakest lofted available today--possibly THE weakest.

That was a factor in my choice of them--a less radical change from what I had.

 

[DarioDarius]

Depending on the yardage gaps in your current set of clubs, a 60° wedge can help fill the distance between your PW and your Ping 56° wedge. This can provide you with more precise distance control for shots inside 75 yards, where neither of your existing wedges may be ideally suited. 

Regard, Sandcastle Egg

Edited June 10 by DarioDarius

[Krich0823]

I admittedly have a pretty strange wedge game. I have a set pw that is 46* then my two sm9 wedges are a 52* f grind and a 58* t grind. I only play full shots with my 52 since it’s the grind optimized for “full shots”. I find for me it digs too much on pitch shots and chip shots. My full 52 typically goes about 115 yds and a full 58 goes 95-100. So anything inside 100 yds I’m using my 58*. Took some getting used to and a lot of range sessions to dial in my yardages inside 100 yds. I used to only chip with my 52* but had to change that approach when I updated my wedges. I only have 13 clubs in the bag so looking back I wish I would have went with 50, 54, 58 setup for better gapping but there’s always room for new clubs

[silver & black]

My 58* is for skulling the ball across the green. Other than that, it's useless.

[RetiredBoomer]

14 minutes ago, Krich0823 said:

I admittedly have a pretty strange wedge game. I have a set pw that is 46* then my two sm9 wedges are a 52* f grind and a 58* t grind. I only play full shots with my 52 since it’s the grind optimized for “full shots”. I find for me it digs too much on pitch shots and chip shots. My full 52 typically goes about 115 yds and a full 58 goes 95-100. So anything inside 100 yds I’m using my 58*. Took some getting used to and a lot of range sessions to dial in my yardages inside 100 yds. I used to only chip with my 52* but had to change that approach when I updated my wedges. I only have 13 clubs in the bag so looking back I wish I would have went with 50, 54, 58 setup for better gapping but there’s always room for new clubs

I have the opposite problem. 
Instead of digging, if I have TOO much bounce, the leading edge doesn't get down and I blade the ball. 

I find it best to eschew set-matching pitching wedges and go with one that matches your other wedges.  The pitching wedge is often where we start looking at pins instead of center green, so it should match our other wedges to match the mindset.

After the strongest-lofted wedge, you will be offered a bounce option with just about every other loft.

For me, I go 46-06, 50-07, 54-08, 58-04 choosing the LOWEST bounce option at every loft.
If you're digging, that's NOT what you want.  You'll have to figure out which bounce (or grind) works best at each loft.  

It's a process unless you've played for a long time and just know from experience what you need. 

[RetiredBoomer]

15 minutes ago, silver & black said:

My 58* is for skulling the ball across the green. Other than that, it's useless.

No.
They're also useful if you have to clock aggressive wildlife in the rough.

[Krich0823]

6 minutes ago, RetiredBoomer said:

I have the opposite problem. 
Instead of digging, if I have TOO much bounce, the leading edge doesn't get down and I blade the ball. 

I find it best to eschew set-matching pitching wedges and go with one that matches your other wedges.  The pitching wedge is often where we start looking at pins instead of center green, so it should match our other wedges to match the mindset.

After the strongest-lofted wedge, you will be offered a bounce option with just about every other loft.

For me, I go 46-06, 50-07, 54-08, 58-04 choosing the LOWEST bounce option at every loft.
If you're digging, that's NOT what you want.  You'll have to figure out which bounce (or grind) works best at each loft.  

It's a process unless you've played for a long time and just know from experience what you need. 

I have definitely thought about going away from my set pw but I am very consistent with it. That’s the only reason I haven’t. I have played for a pretty long time but never really fully understood the bounce aspect of wedges and what I need. I would like to do a wedge fitting but I’d like to do it outside on real grass. I feel like with turf it hides a lot of that stuff for me. I can go into my fitting studio I go to and hit pitch shots with my 52 just fine all day. On the course it’s a different story. But definitely something I have been wanting to explore lately especially with the radical change in my approach game from new wedges.